VICTORIAN JEWELRY is as complex in it's symbolism, sentiment and
design as the fashion, architecture and decor of the time. Worn as an
ornament, a love token or a remembrance, jewelry not only completed the
well-dressed lady's costume but also denoted her position in society,
her marital status and her sense of self.
Since the Victorian era stretched over six decades, many types of jewelry
came and went in vogue.

CUT STEEL is polished steel faceted studs riveted to a steel
backing to create jewelry and ornaments,
buttons and chatelaines. Popular from the
Georgian through the Victorian eras, cut steeljewelry in
the warm glow of candlelight must have been something to behold. Motifs
varied from the simple to the sublime, with multiple layers and densely
packed studs. Designs could be enhanced by the use of varying sized
studs as well. Each stud could have up to 15 facets, and in general the
finer and older the piece the more facets the studs will have. Made in
both England and Europe, this style of jewelry fell out of favor around the turn of the 19th century, but it never falls out of
favor with me.

VICTORIAN gilt fringe, chain and cut steel grand parure in it's original box with a
domed lid and a purple velvet lining. Included is the
necklace, bracelet, brooch and earrings. In the wonderful book by Davidov &
Dawes, "Victorian Jewellery", on page 98, it is identified French in origin.
Each element is decorated with tiny faceted brads and it is in excellent
condition, with only the earring backs being professionally
replaced at some point in the past. Finding an amazing parure like this one is hard
enough, but when you add the original box fitted for this set, it is even
more rare.
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View #V39060

CUT STEEL

Woodstock was a small town outside Oxford, England, site of the most famous cut
steel workshops circa 1760. A jeweler during that time could have been
selling cut steel jewelry a price higher than gold. Steel jewellery became
fashionable in France, and its enormous cost made it popular to the nobility.
Napoleon, on his second marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria, commissioned a whole
parure of cut steel for his new bride. By 1775, Mathew Boulton was the
most famous steel worker, first in London and then in Birmingham. By the 1790s
the industry was producing its finest work, although the French Revolution robbed
the British workshops of their best customer. Though many shops in England
closed, the French cut steel industry survived to the turn of the 19th century.

Since cut steel will rust if it gets wet
or damp and is difficult to polish or clean, much of it has been discarded and a
relative few good pieces remain today. I would date the piece at left between
1775-1800 as the individual brads are quite small. In general, the smaller the
pieces of cut steel used in the jewelry, the earlier the item was. Later jewelry
had larger cut steel brads.

Close-up of cut steel pieces. You can see the multiple facets on each
brad.

Close-up of back showing how cut steel brads are riveted and affixed on the
top circles of each earring. Note that the bottom circles are a pressed
design meant to simulate cut steel, not
cut steel itself.

VICTORIAN or earlier cut steel
and green foiled glass cabochons drop earrings, very old,
entire length 1-3/4". Tinted and foiled quartz pieces can be seen
in the wonderful book "Georgian Jewellery" by Ginny Reddington
& Tom Dawes on page 102, where they date them to circa 1790.
View #V37477

VICTORIAN or earlier cut steel
drop earrings with foil backed red tinted glass cabochon centers. The centers look
like they are rose tinted and foiled underneath, typical for this era,
and the crackles you see are decorative, not damage. In other words, the
top of the cabochons are perfectly smooth with no damage at all. The
earring itself is 1-5/8" and the hoops are 1/2" above that. Tinted
and foiled quartz pieces can be seen in the wonderful book "Georgian Jewellery"
by Ginny Reddington & Tom Dawes on page 102, where they date them to
circa 1790.
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View #V38627

VICTORIAN cut steel butterfly belt buckle, 2-1/2".
This would have adorned the sash or belt in a beautiful way, delicately and
with style.
View #V33733

VICTORIAN cut steel earrings, 1-7/8".
Cut steel is polished steel faceted studs riveted to a steel
backing to fashion jewelry and ornaments,
buttons and chatelaines. Popular from the
Georgian through the Victorian eras, cut steeljewelry in
the warm glow of candlelight must have been something to behold as it
reflects the light beautifully.
View #V33940

This second photo is from an old movie, and it shows a similar piece
used as a bracelet. Wish I had made note of which movie it was.

VICTORIAN cut steel belt disks
and chains, 28-3/4" wearable size and the widest disk is 1-1/2". It is
"as is" with 2 brads missing and a bit of light rust, but still easily
wearable and lovely as well. Each stud has from 10-12 facets. Cut steel
is polished steel hand faceted studs riveted to a steel backing to
create jewelry and ornaments, buttons and chatelaines. Popular from the
Georgian through the Victorian eras, cut steeljewelry in the warm glow of candlelight must have been
something to behold. Each stud could have up to 15 facets, and in
general the finer and older the piece, the more facets the studs will
have.
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View #V38759

VICTORIAN cut steel hair ornament which
is 4" long by 7/8" wide. A wonderful selection of cut steel combs can be seen in
the book "Victorian Jewelry: Unexplored Treasures" by Davidov and Dawes, page
124, which dates them circa 1850.
View
View #V38222

VICTORIAN cut steel brooch and earrings set in a fitted box. The brooch
is 1-3/4" by 1" and has brads with 8-12 facets except the center, which has
15 facets. The earrings are 1-1/4" from hoop top to cut steel bottom and
brads with 12 facets. The is a Victorian hump-back box with fittings inside
to hold the pieces and lined with blue velvet and silk.
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View #V38487

VICTORIAN early 1800's cut steel bangle, 7" by 1/3". This fastens at the
side and has a safety chain. There is light corrosion on the brads and one
end is lifting a bit, though stable, so this is priced accordingly.
#V38014

VICTORIAN cut steel round brooch with about 12 facets to each of the
larger brads, all hand made, 2". There is a very small amount of corrosion
in some areas, much more visible in the magnified photo than in person. Woodstock,
site of the most famous cut steel workshops circa 1760, was a small town
outside Oxford, England. A jeweler during that time could have been selling
cut steel jewelry a price higher than gold! View #V37956

VICTORIAN cut steel arrow
clip with hand cut two prong fastener, 6-1/2" by 1-1/3" at the widest.
Because the prongs are fairly wide, this can only be worn on a sweater or
cloth with a very open weave. Each prong is 1/8" wide at the top.
ViewView #V36091

VICTORIAN cut steel links
brooch with later added safety catch and original extra long Victorian pin
stem, 3-1/3". This is slightly bowed, perfect for a lapel. Each hand made
brad has about 12 facets.
View #V36083

VICTORIAN cut steel arrow
brooch with faceted black glass and tiny etched leaves end, all set on gold
tone, 3-3/4". One tiny brad is missing, so priced as is. This has
a later added c-catch
on the back. I wonder if this was meant to be a Halley's comet brooch. View
#V36088

VICTORIAN cut steel and pale
yellow glass florets, 3". It has a Victorian c-catch on the back.
ViewView #V36090

VICTORIAN cut steel pin
in gold tone, 4-1/4". This has a Victorian c-catch on the back. It has
a comet like shape which is really lovely, perhaps for Halley's comet.
View #V36085

PLEASE NOTE:Regretfully, it
is no longer possible to respond to individual questions regarding
jewelry history, identification or value, or to offer written or verbal
appraisals or opinions. The demand for this kind of information is
absolutely too overwhelming for one dealer to fill.
I love jewelry, but appraising and selling are two
entirely different businesses, and I choose selling and research as my
business.
Instead, articles are added on a regular basis to JEWEL CHAT on line Magazine, a
wonderful reference for information on many makers and styles of
vintage jewelry.
For information on valuing your jewelry, click
HERE.